(Solanum tuberosum) Yukon Gold is arguably one of the most successful potatoes in the world. It is a true culinary star. Hybridizers Garnet “Gary” Johnston and Jeff Rowberry dug the first hill of legendary spuds at Agriculture Canada’s Cambridge Research Station in 1980. It took many years of research. A short time before his death Johnston observed that “potato hybridizers are a patient lot” Yukon Gold was the first Canadian-bred potato cultivar to be marketed with its name on the packaging when two Ontario growers began printing “Yukon Gold” on the side of the bags. It didn’t take long before chefs and consumers began to demand the potato by asking for it by name. Not much wonder, it’s not only delicious, it’s versatile. You can bake it, boil it, scallop it and even deep fry it and it answered the market’s demand for a disease-resistant, yellow-fleshed potato that could be easily grown in North America. At the time Professor Johnson was working as the University of Guelph’s potato breeder and had a graduate student from Lima, Peru. It was tasting his Peruvian potatoes that spurred on Johnson’s breeding for a yellow potato that stayed yellow and cream coloured upon cooking. He bred in disease resistance and the rest is happy, culinary history. Yukon Gold was named Seed of the Year – East for 2011, an annual competition honouring publicly developed Canadian cultivars that are judged for innovation, industry impact, value chain presence, sustainability and marketability. It is also a wonderful example of collaboration between the federal Agriculture & Agri-food Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Photo taken by author at the Elora Research Station, University of...

(Momordica charantia) Popular in China, India and South Asia, the Bitter Melon, a member of the curcurbit family, is used for its leaves as well as fruits for medicinal and culinary purposes. Also known as bitter gourd, foo gwa, balsam pear, cundeamor, fwa-kwa, leprosy pear, or bitter cucumber, its medicinal uses include treatment of diabetes, cardiovascular health and as an anti-malarial medication. Bitter Melons are just one of the many Asian vegetables that are being ‘trailed’ at research stations like Simcoe across Canada in order to make shopping at home easier for Canada’s large SE Asian immigrant community. The bonus is that these great veggies add a whole new flavour palate for shoppers who’d otherwise have no idea what to do with them. Optimal results can be obtained by growing Bitter Melons in the warmth and protection of a greenhouse. With files from Simcoe Research Station publication “New Crops, Old Challenges: Tips and tricks for managing new crops!” and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Image provided by Prof. Glen...

(Phaseolus vulgaris ) OAC Inferno is a light red kidney bean developed by the joint dry bean breeding program between the University of Guelph and Agriculture and Agrifood Canada. It has tremendous potential! In the 2007-2009 Ontario Coloured Bean Performance Registration Trials, taking only 2 days longer to mature than the check varieties for southern Ontario, it out yielded them by an impressive 17% ( 3216kg/ha vs 2730kg/ha). Notably, in a trial grown at...

(Hippophae rhamnoides) Also known as Siberian pineapple, sea berry, sandthorn or swallow thorn, sea buckthorn has been traditionally grown in Europe and Asia. This multi-purpose bush is planted widely in gullies and slopes for soil conservation, livestock feeding and income generation. It was planted as hedgerows in Saskatchewan several decades ago to not only protect crops and prevent erosion but as a great place for birds to nest and feed. Its popularity is owed to its...

(Prunus cerasus) Prairie cherries are one of my favourite new crops. Developed by Dr. Bob Bors of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, the may revolutionize fruit growing in Canada’s western provinces. Sour cherries are not a new crop for North Americans. What is new is the range climates that this intensely flavorful fruit can now be grown. Thanks to a generous dose of Mongolian genetics, cultivars released over the last decade are not...

The new millennium has arrived for asparagus when University of Guelph Plant Agriculture Professor Dave Wolyn created a new variety of asparagus called the Guelph Millennium. It’s an all-male hybrid — male asparagus typically yields up to 25 per cent more than female plants — that out-yields the standard variety by as much as 40 per cent. Millennium was first made commercially available in the winter of 1999; its seed stock sold out in...

(Solanum tuberosum) Yukon Gold is arguably one of the most successful potatoes in the world. It is a true culinary star. Hybridizers Garnet “Gary” Johnston and Jeff Rowberry dug the first hill of legendary spuds at Agriculture Canada’s Cambridge Research Station in 1980. It took...

(Momordica charantia) Popular in China, India and South Asia, the Bitter Melon, a member of the curcurbit family, is used for its leaves as well as fruits for medicinal and culinary purposes. Also known as bitter gourd, foo gwa, balsam pear, cundeamor, fwa-kwa, leprosy pear, or bitter cucumber,...

(Phaseolus vulgaris ) OAC Inferno is a light red kidney bean developed by the joint dry bean breeding program between the University of Guelph and Agriculture and Agrifood Canada. It has tremendous potential! In the 2007-2009 Ontario Coloured Bean Performance Registration Trials, taking only 2...

(Hippophae rhamnoides) Also known as Siberian pineapple, sea berry, sandthorn or swallow thorn, sea buckthorn has been traditionally grown in Europe and Asia. This multi-purpose bush is planted widely in gullies and slopes for soil conservation, livestock feeding and income generation. It was...

(Prunus cerasus) Prairie cherries are one of my favourite new crops. Developed by Dr. Bob Bors of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, the may revolutionize fruit growing in Canada’s western provinces. Sour cherries are not a new crop for North Americans. What is new is the...

The new millennium has arrived for asparagus when University of Guelph Plant Agriculture Professor Dave Wolyn created a new variety of asparagus called the Guelph Millennium. It’s an all-male hybrid — male asparagus typically yields up to 25 per cent more than female plants — that out-yields the...

(Phaseolus vulgaris) With a name like OAC Thunder, it’s clear that bean breeders have a sense of humour. Commonly known as “white beans,” Navy beans are available in grocery stores in packages of dry beans or in cans with a tomato sauce. They are a wonderfully inexpensive source of vegetable...

(Solanum tuberosum) ‘Alta Blush’ was discovered as a chance seedling in Wetaskiwin, Alberta in 1992. The exact parentage is unknown but it was developed by private potato breeder John Safroniuk of Wetaskiwin Alberta. It has a smooth, thin skin, shallow eyes and tastes...

(Solanum melongena) Asian Eggplant, as the name implies, is traditionally grown in South and East Asia, and exists in a wide variety of shapes and colours under names like Purple, White Princess, Oval Green, and Pingteng Long. Today’s seed catalogues are full of such awesome ingredients,...

(Brassica oleracea) This relative of cabbage, caulflower and broccoli has only recently started to be consumed regularly in North America. It is one of my very favourite summer vegetables. Its taste is similar to that of broccoli or a mild cabbage and I love it in coleslaw or julienned on veggie...